InFamous: First Light Review

Colin Gallacher
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2 years ago

Who was your favourite character in inFamous: Second Son? Delsin? Nah. Eugene? Eh. How about Reggie? No, no one ever says Reggie. The star of Second Son, the real star, was Abigail 'Fetch' Walker.
Fetch wasn't just another damsel in distress. She wasn't another victim for the male protagonist to heroically save in order to satisfy the player's manliness. Fetch was different, Fetch had style and substance. She wasn't a one-dimensional sock puppet with breasts. She had a story, a fairly decent story, too. She was conflicted about life and her role in it. All she lived for was exacting a continuous cycle of revenge against the people who wronged her. Is that a life? She didn't know.

So here we are, Fetch has her own downloadable content to shed some light on how she found herself in a Department of Unified Protection facility, and I for one couldn't be happier.
Second Son – X-men, only mutants are called 'conduits' instead – is the type of game you either love, hate, or feel 'meh'. If you loved Second Son, then you're going to love First Light. If you fall into the other categories, then I'm not really sure why you're reading this…?

First Light opens with Fetch sitting, hands bound, staring ahead, thought etched on her face. A few moments later, an eerily familiar voice asks Fetch to recall what happened before she arrived at the DUP facility. The voice is that of Augustine, the self-proclaimed true leader of the new world.
The game then shifts back further into the past, where Fetch, along with her brother Brent, are attempting to flee Seattle in favour of starting anew in Canada.

But there's a catch; Brent has been working gangs in order to fund their new go at life, and the money's in the dufflebag back at an apartment. Unknowing what comes next, Brent sends Fetch to grab the bag, but by the time she gets back, the boat is up in flames, as is her chance at freedom.
Soon after breaking down, a man claiming to be friends with Brent appears, a creepster by the name of Shane. From the off, Fetch doesn't trust him, not just because he's a deplorable letch, but his timing's convenient.
And so starts the story of First Light. Anyone who's played Second Son knows what fate lies in store for the siblings, and that same fate helps to propel the player forward. Knowing what happens next only makes the past seem that more brutal. Fetch is jaded, bitter and cynical when we meet her in Second Son, and First Light adds depth to that effortlessly.

Laura Bailey reprises her role as Fetch and provides a very 'real' performance. One that oozes anguish at every turn. Whenever Fetch gets angry, it's never in an over-the-top, pantomime-esq fashion. It hits the nail every time.

On the gameplay front, First Light features a tweaked version of Delsin's neon powers he absorbed from Fetch – so Fetch's powers, I guess? Holding circle flings Fetch into a luminous sprint, sending flicks of sanguine colours flurrying through the air. Holding in the left trigger slows time, allowing the player to shoot at the target with precision, resulting in an instant takedown.
Of course, there's a host of unlockable powers to compliment the basics through gaining skill points. Skill points work a little differently this time round. There are still side activities to be completed in the open world – chasing orbs, graffiti, stopping attacks, and vaulting through the air to grab stationary orbs – but there's also the inclusion of arena events.
These range from dropping enemies to save hostages to defeating wave after wave of bad dudes. It's a nice little addition for diehard fans and completionists.

Furthermore, if you own Second Son, you can choose to play these missions as Delsin. Why you'd want to do that when you've got Fetch, I've no idea. Nonetheless, it's a cool option for those who still own Second Son.
Before we get to the end bit, there's a discussion to be had about First Light's visuals. It's still the best looking game on new-gen consoles. Puddles reflect giant neon signs, powers boom brightness and radiate small particles not seen in the previous generation of games, buildings in the distance retain their sharp appearance, and there's little touches most won't notice that bring everything together.

Facial animations move like actual faces, as oppose to robots programmed to grimace when words fall out their mouths. Hair moves naturally, not the bits that's tied down mind, only that parts that should. In the DUP facility, Fetch's hood move independently from the rest of her hoodie, like, you know, an actual hood would. It's the little things, as well as the big, which make First Light so visually drop dead gorgeous.

First Light is a love letter to Second Son fans. That may sound obvious, but hear me out. People who liked Second Son will like First Light. It's not rocket science, it's a standalone DLC made for fans who want to go back to Seattle and play around in Sucker Punch's superhero sandbox. If people didn't rate Second Son, then of course they won't rate First Light.
First Light dazzles in all the right ways before ripping out the heart of anyone invested in Fetch's story.

Fetch was the real star of Second Son, but in First Light she's a falling star, crashing violently towards the ground, laying destruction in her wake. For a little over a tenner, First Light lets us back into the sandbox with a host of new toys to play with, and that is something anyone who's fan of Second Son will jump at. First Light reaches for the stars and delivers in all its glowing neon beauty.

Damn good game for the price, but I really wish people would stop calling it "DLC". It's structured like a DLC release in design terms, sure, but it's been released as a standalone game only.

Dead
2 years ago

The only reason it's not DLC is so they can charge more for it.

PrometheusFan
2 years ago

It's the same price as actual DLC campaigns in single player games to download in recent times though, eg. Last of Us' Left Behind DLC was the exact same price and Bioshock Infinite's 'Burial at Sea' was around the same price point for both parts.

RTLF
2 years ago

Bit cynical Gloria, not sure if I agree. The retail release is over £15 but as digital dlc it's only £11.99 which is in line with dlc of this type. Left Behind was also £11.99

RTLF
2 years ago

Ah he beat me to it :)

JoeToots
2 years ago

If it was a wii-u release it'd be different ehh Gloria ;)

NathanW18
2 years ago

Sounds great. I really want to play it, but I'll wait for the physical version. Second Son is a fantastic looking game. I wish they had more time to work on it. It needed a bit more content.

inspector 74
2 years ago

Looks awesome this does but im having problems with Sony on my PSN account they just cancelled my pre order for this for no reason so I think I can live without this for a while. Apparently its 3 hours long so seems a bit pricey I reckon so Sonys fu(< up could actually be a blessing in disguise

DynamiteWhyte
2 years ago

Your a negative nancy these days Inspector.

TruDarkAssassin
2 years ago

May pick this up at some point loved second son but with destiny arriving soon i can wait abit

PrometheusFan
2 years ago

"Apparently its 3 hours long" - Only if you rush it, sure. Took me close to 6 hours, and there's still a lot of stuff I need to do to get the platinum even then. There's more than enough content here to justify 12 quid. Ground Zeroes this ain't.

Ashley
2 years ago

@prometheusFan, Does this have a Platinum trophy?!

RTLF
2 years ago

Yes it has a plat and Inspector why would a pre order of a digital title on PSN being cancelled be a problem? It's not like they've sold out, you can download it whenever you want

Ashley
2 years ago

DLC, additional content, sequel whatever you wanna call it, not many of them have a platinum trophy. Loved Fetch's power in Second Son though! So useful for getting out of hairy situations.

NathanW18
2 years ago

Yeah, neon was the best power for sure. The particles when you drain neon from signs...it looks so pretty. Especially at night. I like how you can run up walls with it as well.

Zombieflamingo
2 years ago

Might be tempted to get this at some point as the neon powers were the best part of second son.

Bindiana
2 years ago

Would be nice if they made one that concentrated on Concrete powers as never really got to use it as had done all side stuff by end game.

Ashley
2 years ago

Apparently Glass and wire were two powers that were rejected by the developers. Id like to have seen how they would have done those.

Artemisthemp
2 years ago

I really enjoy Infamous First Light and is actually ok with how, they retcon Fetch story in First Light

RAMSEY MADMAN
2 years ago

Get it! well worth £11.99 on psn store. Fetch is super fast plus there are arena modes were you can use Delsin with all his powers.